Boxing stick



L. LONDON BOXING STICK Aug. 15, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 25, 1967 INVENTOR. LHPRY LONDON nTToAwEy Aug. 15, 1967 L LONDQN 3,336,029

' BOXING STICK Filed Jan. 25, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' I NVENTOR. L14? R Y LONDON 5% gr g HTTORNEX United States Patent 3,336,029 BOXING STICK Larry London, Belle Isle, Miami Beach, Fla. (117 NE. 1st Ave., Miami, Fla. 33132) Filed Jan. 25, 1967, Ser- No. 611,637 10 Claims. (Cl. 273-67) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved exercising device composed of a shaft with protective thrust heads and intermediate hand guard means including a first and a second member each having a hand-receiving annular pocket-type socket to protectively accommodate the hands of a user, the hand guard means including means to accommodate sliding adjustment of the distance between the members on the shaft.

This invention relates to an improvement in an exercising device in comprising a boxing stick to contribute to muscular development and co-ordination. In ancient times, fighting staffs were known which included a staff having ends provided with protective ends or, in the case of spears, deadly portions intended to inflict injury. Among such prior art is the patent to Restein, 1,385,642. The present invention is an improvement of such prior art devices and provides for means intermediate the thrust heads of the stick to protectively shield the hands of a user with the hand guards preferably being adjustable lengthwise on the staff so that simulated boxing movements may be employed by a user and, in the alternative, the device may be used to simulate hand-to-hand combat with rifles carrying bayonets.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an improved fighting staff which includes adjustable hand guards intermediate protective cushioned distal ends for use in simulated but friendly hand-to-hand contests between rivals.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the instant exercising device;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 with the said device being rotated through 90 degrees about its longitudinal axis;

FIGURE 3 is a partial view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by the line 3--3 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a partial view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 6 is a partial view of that portion of FIG- URE 4 indicated by the arrowed line 6-6 therearound, and showing a somewhat modified construction of that portion.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, and referring particularly to FIGURE 1, the numeral 12 generally designates a boxing stick which includes an elongate tubular staff 14 of a length between approximately 3 feet and 5 feet of resilient plastic material, preferably of polyvinyl chloride. To each end of the staff a thrust head 16 and 16' are provided and a pair of intermediate slidable hand guards 18 and 18' are provided for sliding movement. Referring to the thrust heads, each includes a cylindrical body 20 of resilient material, preferably of expanded polyethylene which will be described more fully hereinafter. The cylindrical body is provided with an axial bore 22 therethrough which is counter bored as at 24 at the distal end 26 thereof to define a shoulder 28 therebetween. The axial length of the cylindrical body is in the order of 9 inches and a flanged end cap 30 is provided which includes the tubular portion 32 and a foot 34 with the diameter of the foot being sized to nest in the counter bore against the shoulder and the tubular portion being of a length to protrude from the proximal end of the body 20 and with the protruding portion being exteriorly threaded as at 36 at the proximal terminus of the body 20 to threadingly accommodate a keeper ring 40. Also, means such as the screw 42 are provided on the end of the protuberance for passage through a diametrical hole 44 in the tubular portion arranged to register with a hole 46 diametrically through the wall of the staff. A bumper sleeve 48 is preferably provided with the distal end of the bumper sleeve telescoping over the proximal end of the tubular portion and abutting the keeper ring 40. An end plug 50 may be provided and secured in the'counter bore of the body 20 against the foot 34 to be held in position either by an adhesive or by the means shown in FIGURE 6 which comprises an axial extension 52 to' be received in an axial hole 54 of the somewhat modified flanged foot 34'. Referring to the pair of hand guards 18 and 18, each comprises a cylindrical body 56 of a length in diameter similar to that of the end heads and also having an axial through bore 58 as well as a hand pocket 60. Within the hand pocket a spool shaped sleeve 62 is captivated, said sleeve being circumposed about the staff and having opposite flanged ends 64 and 66 which bear against the opposing walls 68 and 70 of the pocket 60. An outer tubular element 72 and 74 is provided in the bore of the cylindrical body 56 on each side of the spool, each of said elements having a portion which projects out of the body and which is threaded at its point to receive keeper rings 76 and 78 for threadable receipt on the ends to clamp the body and hold the hand guards together as a slidable unit. Preferably, the confronting distalmost portions of the hand guards, which are the ends of the tubular elements 72 and 74 which carry the keeper rings 76 and 78, act as bumpers and preferably are of a resilient material so that, when the hand guards are slidably captivated on the shaft, the portions Which face the heads co-act with the confronting end of the bumper sleeve and the portions which face the companion hand guard co-act with one another to cushion the shock or impact between the same in use; and for this purpose the said distalmost portions may be enlarged.

It is apparent that this invention provides an improved exercising device composed of a shaft with protective thrust heads and intermediate hand guard means including a first and a second member each having a hand-receiving annular pocket-type socket to protective- 1y accommodate the hands of a user, the hand guard means including means to accommodate sliding adjustment of the distance between the members on the shaft In assembly, the elements of the hand guards, seen in FIGURE 3, are united and slidably positioned on the staff; and, thereafter, one or both of the heads, see FIGURE 4, are installed.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

What is claimed is:

1. As an exercising device, a boxing stick compris a shaft of a length in a range of between three and six feet;

a thrust head of resilient material completely covering the end portions of said shaft, said heads being secured in position to protectively cushion said ends; and

hand guard means of resilient material secured on the shaft between the heads, said hand guard means including a first and a second member each having a hand receiving annular socket with an entrance mouth, the axis of said socket being coincident with the shaft for gripping the boxing stick.

2. A boxing stick as set forth in claim 1 including means to connect the hand guard means to the shaft to permit of sliding relative axial adjustment of the distance between the members of the hand guard means and of the length of said distance with respect to said ends, and of rotation of said hand guard means.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein bumper means are provided intermediate the hand guard means and the ends of the boxing stick, to cushion impact by the hand guard means occasioned by slidable movement thereof.

4. A boxing stick as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said members is slidably captivated between said ends and freely rotatable on said shaft.

5. A boxing stick as set forth in claim 4 wherein said first and said second member each includes a sleeve captivated in the respective hand socket of said members and circumposed on said shaft to be gripped in use.

6. A device as set forth in claim 4 wherein each of the members of said hand guard means includes a sleeve captivated in the socket and having enlarged ends to abuttingly engage the hand guard means in the socket and means outwardly of said enlarged ends of said sleeve operable to clamp the hand guard means to said ends of the sleeve.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end thrust head includes:

a generally cylindrically-shaped body of expanded polyethylene low density foam material of a tough, resilient character having an axial through bore with a counter-bore in the distal end of the body defining a recessed shoulder, and a flanged elongate end cap comprising a tubular portion of a length greater than the distance between said shoulder and the proximal end of said body, said bore being sized to receive one end of the shaft and said flange being sized to seat on said shoulder with the proximal end of the end cap projecting out of the proximal end of said bore, and a keeper ring of a diameter larger than said projecting end of the end cap secured to said end cap to hold the body tightly against the flange and said ring, and means to hold said thrust head to said shaft.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7 wherein said means to hold threadably connects said thrust head to said shaft.

9. A device as set forth in claim 7 wherein a plug of resilient-material is carried in said counter-bore and means to hold said plug in said counter-bore are provided.

10. A device as set forth in claim 9 wherein said means to hold said plug in said counter-bore includes a hole in said flanged end of said end cap and a tongue in said plug for tight passage through said hole to expand into wedging engagement with the wall of the hole in the end cap.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,987,317 6/1961 Acevedo 273-84 3,185,476 5/1965 Fechner 272--76 RICHARD C. PINKl-IAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. AS AN EXERCISING DEVICE, A BOXING STICK COMPRISING: A SHAFT OF A LENGTH IN A RANGE OF BETWEEN THREE AND SIX FEET; A THRUST HEAD OF RESILIENT MATERIAL COMPLETELY COVERING THE END PORTIONS OF SAID SHAFT, SAID HEADS BEING SECURED IN POSITION TO PROTECTIVELY CUSHION SAID ENDS; AND HAND GUARD MEANS OF RESILIENT MATERIAL SECURED ON THE SHAFT BETWEEN THE HEADS, SAID HAND GUARD MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST AND A SECOND MEMBER EACH HAVING A HAND RECEIVING ANNULAR SOCKET WITH AN ENTRANCE MOUTH, THE AXIS OF SAID SOCKET BEING COINCIDENT WITH THE SHAFT FOR GRIPPING THE BOXING STICK. 